QATAR Airways has entered into contracts to lease six new narrow-body Airbus aircraft from CIT Aerospace, a unit of US-based CIT Group, a global provider of commercial and consumer finance solutions.

The order includes one A320 and five A321-200s, which will be delivered in 2007 and 2008. CIT Aerospace is one of the world’s largest aerospace financing and leasing companies.
Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways is growing at a phenomenal rate and in order to meet our expansion plans, we have looked carefully at ways to boost our fleet size. This transaction represents an important increase in our narrow-body fleet, geared to further improving connectivity and convenience for customers over our Doha hub.”

HGW JET
Qatar Airways last month welcomed its first Airbus A340-600 aircraft to become the launch customer of the High Gross Weight (HGW) version of the world’s longest passenger jet. The 266-seat aircraft, which is capable of flying non-stop between Doha and the US east coast with a full load of passengers and cargo, is the first to be painted with the airline’s new livery, which will be introduced gradually. The new aircraft has a three-class cabin layout with innovative onboard first and business class lounges.